Alistair Cook: 'This is as special as Ashes win'

Everyone has contributed and the willingness to learn and to front up to what is a tough challenge out here was fantastic

England captain Alistair Cook

And success at the tail end of 2012 put the team in the perfect frame of mind for 2013, when they will face the old enemy both home and away.

Cook led from the front in his first tour as captain, including a defiant 176 in the opening game defeat and then two big hundreds in the next two decisive Tests.

Jimmy Anderson, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar also played key roles in England’s fi rst success in India since 1984-5.

But that looked way beyond the team after a nine-wicket defeat in the first Test in Ahmedabad, with Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan among many critics predicting a 4-0 defeat.

Cook’s team fought back with successive wins in Mumbai and Kolkata and, thanks to centurions Jonathan Trott (143) and Ian Bell (116 not out), they finished the job with a series-clinching draw in Nagpur yesterday.

Cook admitted: “It’s on a par with the Ashes. As an Englishman, winning in Australia after so long meant a huge amount.

“But in that dressing room here for that last half-an-hour, knowing what we had achieved, it was a very special place and it will live long in my memory.”

He admitted there was plenty of soul-searching after the opening defeat.

“Of course there was doubt,” said Cook.

“There is always doubt, especially after halfway through day two when we were getting rolled.

“I was surprised at the level we managed to achieve so soon after Ahmedabad.

“I was talking about playing to our potential, but I was surprised we managed to do it straight away and put all those doubts to bed and prove it to ourselves.”

Cook's runs could not salvage a first-Test draw, but they did show his team-mates what was possible in India.

"When you go to bed at night realising you can play out here, that is a very encouraging thing,” he said.

“After that second innings in Ahmedabad we thought, ‘Yes, we can score runs out here’.

“As I said then, if we could play close to our potential as a side, we had a chance of winning a game and we did that. Then we backed it up in Kolkata.

“It was about transferring what we’ve been practising and working on out in the middle and trusting our ability to do that.

“The lads really stood up in those three games with the bat and we know what a quality bowling attack we have. It has been an incredible tour.

“It was obviously a pretty nervy dressing room for the last 140 overs, knowing how close we were.

“But we went out and did it convincingly. Everyone has contributed and the willingness to learn and to front up to what is a tough challenge out here was fantastic.”

Swann and Monty took 19 wickets between them in Mumbai, where Kevin Pietersen’s 186 helped Man of the Series Cook lay the foundation for victory.

And Anderson, Man of the Match for his decisive four wickets, did everything asked of him as leader of the attack.

He said: “When we came here people said it would be about spinners taking wickets but we’ve shown we could do a job.

“Reverse swing played a key part in this series win but we have worked really hard and we executed our plans really well.”

Cook added: “Clearly we got it wrong in Ahmedabad in not playing Monty, but when we put it right he was outstanding.”

■ Joe Root has been added to England’s squad for the two T20 games against India on Thursday and Saturday.